In a new update, 5 Lives Studios have released a new zone for players to explore in their early access strategy title;Â Satellite Reign. The industrial district has been connected to the previously available Downtown/Red Light District and players are now free to move their agents into new and unexplored territory.
I’ve previously covered Satellite Reign and spoke highly of the game. I was quite impressed by many aspects of the game, but especially the environment design of the city. Walking through the city in Satellite Reign felt akin to walking through set of Blade Runner or the streets of real-life Tokyo. The new industrial district is very distinct by comparison to the neon lights and night life of the downtown area. What’s distinct about the new area is that it tones down the neon sleaze and turns up the urban blight by a factor of ten. It might not be pretty to fight next to open chemical plants and garbage dumps, but it certainly puts the ‘punk’ in cyberpunk.
A raft of other features have been implemented including new enemy types and factions, alongside a nicer UI. There are also a number of smaller fixes and additions which add some new elements to the gameplay. My favourite feature (which might actually be a bug) are corporate security randomly stopping and harassing individuals in the street. This has happened a number of times to my hacker agent and it really reinforces the idea of a repressive corporatocracy… as well as making me laugh. Another, more useful, feature is the addition of black market infobrokers who can sell you data on what each facility has in stock. This allows players to strategically determine which heists they wish to pull off first and what loot they will get upon completion.
For the next couple of days the game will be on sale and can be found here.
Finally, the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V Online Heists update is now live for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners. Update sizes vary, with reports of 4.2GB and 4.75GB for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 respectively. Last gen consoles will have significantly smaller patches at around 1GB.
Available free of charge, you now have the opportunity to cause further mayhem around Los Santos and Blaine County pulling off heists, raids and robberies with your existing or new partners of crime.
For further information be sure to check out the preview of the update here.
It should also be noted that PCowners will be able to participate in all elements of the update on the April 14th release date.
DmC: Devil May Cry was an absolute smash hit when it dropped back in 2012, and we here at Capsule Computers absolutely loved it. Sure there were loyal fans of the franchise who felt the reboot was not only unnecessary, but cheapened the franchise, but for the rest of us DmC was an incredible amount of hack and slash fun. Now the game has been re-released onto the next generation of gaming consoles as the DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition and comes with not only the base game, but the equally exciting Vergil’s Downfall chapter that was previously a DLC exclusive. However the question still remains; is DmC Definitive edition worth a purchase, or are you fine with your 2012 copy of the game? The answer is that if you already own the game and all of its DLC then there isn’t much new here, however the new visual upgrades, 60fps frame rate and new difficulty means that this really is the definitive edition of the game.
Story
DmC: Devil May Cry is a reboot of the hugely successful Devil May Cry franchise, and recasts our protagonist Dante as a more youthful and dare I say more brash version of himself. This is a Dante that hasn’t spent his entire life hunting demons and has instead used his skills to woo the ladies. Thankfully when starting off with a clean slate like DmC does, it allows for a tonne of character development through the narrative, and as we continue through the story, Dante grows and matures as a character. It is definitely a subtle growth, one that you likely wont really notice while you are playing but come the end cinematic you will be looking at a completely different Dante than the trailer trash womaniser from the beginning of the game.
The Definitive Edition also comes with the Vergil’s Downfall DLC which takes place after the climactic final battle of the main campaign. Vergil’s story isn’t as long as Dante’s but we still see the same level of maturity and character development here. The best part is that Vergil is an absolute villain, so we get to play a hugely different roll than the one Dante filled. Vergil’s Downfall is filled with a lot of incracies and back-story that help shape not only the character of Vergil himself, but this whole new DmC world.
Gameplay
We all know the gist by now don’t we? The Devil May Cry franchise are a series of games that are all about one thing: action. Well two things, action and being incredibly stylish. Dante is equipped with his Rebellion greatsword and his two pistols: Ebony and Ivory. With these three weapons (and a few more that he unlocks along the way), Our stalwart demon slayer will be able to string together insane looking combos in order to lay waste to his foes. The core mechanics don’t deviate much from the 2012 original, aside from a harder difficulty option and the new manual targeting system.
Like most action games, DmC is incredibly skill intensive, strong and weak attacks are mapped to different buttons (and your guns and additional weapons mapped to others) and you will chain together your strikes in order to not only deal as much damage as possible, but also to ensure that your kill looks as awesome as it can. The variety of your moveset and how quickly you strike all impact on your overall rank for the fight. DMC players will be well aware that the ranks use a letter system that goes D-C-B-A-S-SS-SSS (with the latter awarding the most points).
Those who are more familiar with the older Devil May Cry games might find themselves getting higher ranking combos almost too easily. I know that when playing DMC3 that I struggle to get higher than a B ranking, but when playing DmC I am getting A’s and above almost without trying. This is a double edged sword as on one hand the game feels easier, while on the other hand, I felt like an absolute bad-ass as I tore through the army of the damned.
Bloody Palace mode also makes a return, and offers players a chance to mow down hordes of enemies at their leisure. Separated into 101 different stages, the bloody palace definitely put me to the test, and I struggled to complete the entire palace. New to the Definitive Edition, Vergil gets his own Bloody palace mode to play through, leading to more than 200 different levels. Not a bad way to keep me entertained long after finishing the campaign I must say.
Visuals & Audio
Since this is a remastered edition, you would expect that the visuals have been kicked up a notch, and you would be correct! Everything has a slick coat of polish over it that makes it look absolutely beautiful. The
While I could talk about how the little changes to the visuals make all the difference, what really makes this game stand out from the original version is the 1080p/60fps presentation. For years I have never really understood the need for 60fps, but after seeing a game like DmC in action, the differences are astronomical. The movement of Dante and his adversaries just look so much more fluid and timely, really adding to the otherworldly feel of the game.
In terms of audio, not much has changes here and the game still sounds almost identical to the 2012 version. Characters all have voices that suit their look and delivery is energetic and well-acted. One thing I noticed is that one or two scenes were cut out of the original, this is especially noticeable in the opening cinematics and while it would be a bit jarring if you have played through DmC a few times already, it doesn’t change the overall tone or feel of the game.
Overall
I’m not exactly a supporter of all of the remakes and rereleases we are getting for the Xbox One/PS4. It seems that every single game that was popular on 360/PS3 is getting remade for the new hardware. However, I was more than impressed with DmC’s Definitive Edition. The inclusion of all of the game’s content in one package certainly helped, but the few gameplay tweaks like the manual aiming and harder difficulty really help sell me on the whole thing. However, the game’s visual presentation needs to be praised above all else here – the 1080p/60FPS really makes DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition feel slick, stylish and absolutely sensational.
Eagle-eyed readers out there will notice that we have scored DmC: Definitive Edition lower than the original, despite claiming it was a superior version of the game. This is due to the fact that the two versions were reviewed by two different people and as such their thoughts and opinions aredifferent from one another. We apologise for any confusion.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Battlefield Hardline‘s end of March launch date is quickly approaching. EA and Visceral Games released a brand new launch trailer featuring clips of in-game cinematics and multiplayer gameplay. The trailer teases the game’s plot and some of the new features coming to the long running Battlefield series.
Battlefield Hardline is set to launch on March 17th in North America, March 19th in PAL regions, and March 20 in New Zealand for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows. The game will cost between $89.95 to $99.95 AUD based on platform and the season pass will cost an additional $59.99 AUD.
The game’s cops and robbers theme is a departure from the franchise’s traditional large scale military conflicts. It is the first Battlefield title to be developed by Dead Space developers Visceral Games, as DICE is currently developing Star War: Battlefront and Battlefield 5.
Virtual Reality seems to be the ‘big thing’ that every company is trying to get in on first. With the Game Developers Conference 2015 wrapping up, a lot of big companies have put their name in the V.R. hat as they all try to come out with the greatest reality morphing device. It can get a little confusing keeping up with it all so we’ve created a summary containing all the important information such as who is creating what, expected release dates and unique features. Should you wish to learn more about any one of these projects, each project title will take you to the official website for that device.
Project: Project Morpheus
Company: Sony
Release Date: Q2 2016. Will cost less than $1000.
Sony have been far from shy revealing details of Project Morpheus as of late and the device looks very promising after receiving a huge update for the second prototype. Project Morpheus will feature a single 5.7″ OLED 1,920 x RGB x 1,080 display and 120Hz refresh rate, helping to eliminate any low resolution issues, remove flicker and help overcome one of the biggest problems V.R. is facing in the industry, motion blur. Sony makes its money off consumers so it’s no surprise the Morpheus is designed for player comfort, featuring a light build and a quick release strap to remove the device. The headset will feature inbuilt 3D audio so that your ears aren’t left out of the experience. Project Morpheus will be powered by the PlayStation 4 requiring players to own the console to experience the headset.
Project: Oculus Rift
Company: Oculus VR
Release Date: Development Kit 2 Available Now for $350 U.S., can be shipped Worldwide
Pretty much the device that brought Virtual Reality into relevancy several years ago, Oculus Rift is still pushing to be one of the leading V.R. devices with a little help from Facebook who purchased the company behind the device last year. The Rift offers a resolution of 960 x 1080 per eye on OLED displays, positional tracking for your head movements, 75 Hz refresh rate and a low persistence display to help eliminate motion blur. It is easily the most developer friendly device on the market with heaps of integrations with Unity 4, Unreal Engine 4 and UDK. Basically the technology is a little behind on Sony’s Morpheus but the Rift is more open to developers and players with it’s PC compatibility. Anyone is able to purchase one and a heap of games have already been made compatible with the Rift.
Project: HTC Vive
Company: HTC/Valve
Release Date: U.S. Spring 2015 (Developer Edition Only)
The big new boy in the V.R. space formed from a collaboration with two power house companies, the Vive has had heaps of good impressions from the most recent GDC. The Vive sports a 1,200 by 1,080 pixel screen in front of each eye, both with a 90 Hz refresh rate and promises it can display photo realistic imagery. You can pair the headset with a pair of Steam VR base stations (sensors you place in corners of the room) to track your physical location which means you can actually get up and walk around unlike many of the other devices on this list. The development kit comes with two long controllers that you can hold in each hand that can track you hand and arm movements and seems much more better suited to a V.R. experience then a single game controller, allowing your hands to move freely.
Project: HoloLens
Company: Microsoft
Release Date: Unknown (Development Kit Available Late 2015 Rumoured)
Let’s face it, Kinect has failed to bring any sort of revolution to gaming and is pretty much restricted to games aimed at children. Hoping they can actually affect some change, Microsoft’s new device the HoloLens functions as more of an augmented reality device than a strict virtual reality device. The lens at the front is transparent, so instead of being fully in the games world you will see the real world with holograms overlayed in it, picture holograms all around you with say a Skype chat box appearing while you walk or Minecraft but all over your living room. Not much has been said on actual specs, but the HoloLens features a very powerful, inbuilt Holographic Processing Unit which keeps the device completely wireless and allows the unit to recognize hand gestures as its main control form. HoloLens also features built in spatial sound, so you will hear Holograms when you are an appropriate distance to them making them seem more natural in your environment. Another great feature is it is not tied to any other software or hardware.
Project: Magic Leap
Company: Magic Leap ($542 million dollar investment from Google)
Release Date: Unknown
Definitely the most mysterious project on this list, the Magic Leap project is one crafted around love but is still in early prototype stages as you can tell by the picture we had to use. While most of the devices here use Stereoscopic 3D to essentially trick our minds into seeing images, Magic Leap will use light projection to make incredibly realistic projections appear in the real world, which according to the CEO respects the biology of the human eye-brain system in a safer way. We don’t know much about it yet, but this is definitely a project to keep your eyes on as the company is promising to blow us away and show us an all new V.R. experience.
Project: Gear VR
Company: Samsung
Release Date: Available Now in U.S. for $200
The only device on this list available now to the general consumer market, the Gear VR will require you to own the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (or any future released Note series device) as it uses the phones high quality 5.7″ Quad HD AMOLED screen as the display and does not have one of its own. The Gear VR is more like a V.R. Android Mobile Interface and is seemingly more limited than many of the other devices on this list, however it will let you enjoy some cool stuff like 360 degree videos and navigate menus with hand gestures and touch controls.
Project: MindLeap
Company: MindMaze
Release Date: Development Kit Available Late 2015
The MindLeap is one of the smaller players in the market but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer. There is one huge difference with this device that makes it stand out from the crowd, it uses your actual brainwaves as the controls instead of physically controls or hand gestures (although there is still functionality for the former control method). This is great news for both tech heads and disabled gamers. Another big stand out is that the device is not strictly virtual or augmented reality but can easily be switched between both with a single button flick. The device will come with a 3D camera to track your movements and work in sync with the headset to provide a complete V.R./A.R. experience. MindLeap will be able to be used with a number of games across a number of platforms including mobile devices and consoles. The device is also expected to be a big part of the medical science sector, especially in regards to rehabilitation and neuroscience.
The Virtual Reality space is definitely showing promise and it has always been a bit of gaming dream that one day we would be able to actually step into the shoes of the onscreen characters and feel like we are in the game. Now with the appropriate advancements in technology, that day doesn’t seem far away. Let us know in the comments below which V.R. project you are most excited about and how you would like to see the technology used in games. If you know of any other major projects being worked on in the V.R. space that we missed pleased let us know about it as we would love to check it out.
The latest piece of DLC for Far Cry 4 is launching this week. “Valley of the Yetis” will be available on March 10th on Xbox Live for Xbox 360 and Xbox One and on Windows via Steam and Uplay. PlayStation 3 and 4 owners will be able to get their hands on the DLC on March 11th.
“Valley of the Yetis” takes Ajay Ghale to a mountainous ridge in the Himalayas filled with dangerous cultists and packs of bloodthirsty yetis.
The DLC will be available on its own at a yet to be announced price or as part of the season pass priced at $29.99 USD.
The DLC features:
·        A New Open World: Explore and survive a new environment in Kyrat. The beautiful and majestic top of the Himalayas await.
·        Defend and Upgrade Your Camp: Capture an enemy relay station to use as a safe house. Players will need to fortify the camp by completing side quests during the day, and defend it from waves of attackers at night.
·        Uncover the mystery: A mysterious cult inhabits this valley and now hides a secret based on ancient legends. Discover the secret behind the cult of The Awakened Ones and survive the yetis.
Indie Gala and Capsule Computers are celebrating the big 50 with bang. This week’s Every Monday Bundle contains eight indie games, all of them redeemable on Steam.
Talisman – The officially licensed video game of the popular board game of the same name.
Redux – A challenging shump inspired by arcade games of yesteryear.
Ephemerid – A rock opera about a paper mayfly that has was a finalist in several major indie game events.
Air Guardians – A futuristic flight combat sim designed for new players to the genre.
Borealis – A visually trippy game that challenges players to avoid getting hit, while the procedurally generated game throws missiles at the player to the beat the music.
But to Paint a Universe – An adventure game following a girl looking to repair the broken sky.
Monomino – A colourful puzzler inspired by the classic game Lemmings.
One Night – As the security guard of the office, it’s up to you to keep out thieves, but a stranger has broken in and is about to spill the dark secrets hidden in the office.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, the entire bundle costs only $2.49. After that, the price rises, so grab your copy at Indie Gala.
Square Enix announced at PAX East that Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, the first expansion to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, will launch for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac on June 23rd with early access beginning on June 19th.
This expansion will introduce three new jobs in the form of Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist, a new playable race featuring curved horns and scaled skin called the Au Ra, flying mounts including single-rider airships and flying chocobos, new equipment, new raides, and adding plenty of new zones to the world of Eorzea. You can check out a preview video of the expansion below.
During PAX East in Boston CD Projekt RED debuted a seven minute long gameplay video for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt giving players a guided tour of some areas in the No Man’s Land, which is one of the regions players will be able to explore once the game is released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC worldwide on May 19th.
In the trailer you will see Geralt face off against a number of different basic enemies as well as the secret behind a phantom on the trade route as well as fighting against a Royal Wyvern to save some villagers.
Fans of the series have been waiting quite a while, so long in fact that there were jokes going around that a third season would never be announced but this weekend that announcement came. YuruYuri‘s mangaka Namori announced that a third anime season for the series has been greenlit. At the moment no exact details have been announced but you can check out the announcement artwork below.
This news comes shortly after an hour long OVA following the cast on a camping trip was released on home video in Japan. Considering NIS America has licensed and released both seasons of the YuruYuri anime in North America, it will be interesting to see if they will pursue the OVA and the third season whenever it makes its debut.
